1) Beth Abraham (Hertzberg’s)- This is officially a Belzer shul but the crowd is truly a mixed bag. Even the kids attend Baltimore yeshivas/ot representing opposite colors of the orthodox spectrum (TI,Ner Israel, TA, Rambam, Beth Tefillo, Bais Yaakov, Bnos). Kudos to Rabbi Katz who continues to inspire All.

2) Tiferes Yisroel(Goldberger’s) - Where else can you have a Shul row that includes a guy with a cowboy hat and poneytail, a guy in Chasidic garb and an african american Jew. This shul radiates Achdus.

Service-related factors that enhance my kavvanah include:

1. Each Shaliach Tzibbur cares about what he does, knows the local nusach 100%, does not insert any boring or shticky tunes (even Jewish ones!) or really any that are not as good as the nusach.

2. Committed, vocal daveners (better yet if the house is packed).

3. No small talk during the entire service (including by gabboim, rabbis and shul officers, who should all know better and set a good example). That means no period at the start of the service when people stroll in continuing their conversations and ignoring the Shaliach Tzibbur’s attempts to get the davening off the ground. Also no mass exodus on Shabbos and Yom Tov before or during the end of the service.

Negative factors include:

1. The opposite of the positive factors above.

2. Loud noises from kids running wild inside or outside the sanctuary.

[Regarding sermons:

If there is a sermon, I want to learn something new, true and important. If an idea came from other than the speaker, I want to hear who was the source. If a community problem or general Jewish problem is identified, I want to hear an action plan then and there.]

Exactly. I don’t even understand the argument here - these sorts of congregations should grow organically with the needs of the community. I also fundamentally disagree with the premise that you need a large shul to grow communal infrastructure - I’ve been in communities that could barely muster a minyan, but still had an eruv and a mikvah.

Comment by Jewish Observer — March 31, 2007 @ 11:42 pm”

Done with some wit and standup-like reaction to comments from the seats. Occasionally in quasi-rhyme with a quasi-tune. Good lines when old announcements turn up on the list. He’s an engineering professor.

- you missed my point. I cited clichetic stereotypes of big shuls to point out that the features of a shul of any style can be picked on. for the sake of this conversation, substitute your shul’s idiosyncrancies for the ones I noted …

now you got me curious … I never heard the words good and announcements in the same sentence. so what does he say already?

WADR, it is not a matter of what you (or I) think. it is a factual reality that there is a critical mass of shtieblach that are not breakways from large shuls. does no one on this blog live in flatbush???

Re comment 22 above -

I disagree. I think the default is that Berov Am hadras Melech, that a larger congregation is better.

A big Shul doesn’t necessarily need weekly deroshos, announcements and presentations to bar-mitzvoh bochurim. You are stereotyping big Shuls as necessarily being a certain type of Modern Orthodox, when they are not necessarily so.

To be objective, (large) shuls also need to be accomodating and welcoming. It takes self-reflection, leadership, innovation, and reinventing themselves from time to time to make that happen. But, I would argue that it is the shul (and not the shteibel) which has the greater potential for men, women, and children to connect not only with the R”SO but also as a tzibbur and a community.

We’ve seen this impact US Judaism in many ways, including the Havura movement. Ironically, some of the most successful synagogues managed to co-opt these havurot and make them part of the shul, even a drawing card of an elitist sort in some cases. The growth of multiple minyanim within many Orthodox shuls is also relevant in this regard. There are a variety of reasons why these alternative minyan have grown–many, but not all, undoubtedly relate to addressing time schedule needs of young families.

It is a real trick to address the contemporary individual/family needs of congregants within a particular synagogue while maintaining a sense of spirituality, community and fellowship. Some try with one service while some try multiple services–in either case, it’s a true challenge once venturing beyond the confines of the shtibl.

Yes, Loberstein is 100% correct. Baltimore is the way it is because of Rabbi Neuberger Z”L. and thank you Rabbi Adlerstein for the beautiful description of our shul, Shomrei Emunah.

I think that all of our communities should become well known for embracing these values.

This happened in Europe many years ago, and continues to this day.

Hence there is a massive Belzer synagogue in Eretz Yisroel (as there was in the old Belz), a massive Bobover one in the USA, etc., etc.

If they considered the small ones to really be preferable, why would they make a large one when they could, esp. for the seat of their leader ? Or perhaps the claims that shtiebels are better were only made when they couldn’t have a large Shul for whatever reason, making a virtue of necessity ?

If critics of “shtiebelization” offer a better experience in their larger shuls, that should get good results. Complaining about shtieblach will not.